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Sorry for the redumdant reply. I checked this thread after replying the other day and it wasn’t there so i replied again.

Neal

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Erik, the original design is nice . Could you build the body, find good wheels and axels, then have a spring shop make you up some springs and shackles. I’m sure there’s a truk spring shop in your neck of the woods, they can usually put springs under anything, custom to boot.

Neal Mcnaughten
Unity, me.

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Erik,

Why don’t you stick with original design, get the correct size wooden wheels and axels from some where? there are a lot of folks that build them, then go to a spring shop and have springs made for the weight of the vehicle which isn’t that expensive, and slightly modify the undercarriage to make it blend in.
Another trick that boat builders do is to paint the roof then put down canvas and paint it again. A few more coats and she’s water proof.

Goodluck, looks like a good project.

neal mcnaughten
Unity, me.

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Carl, no disruption of work when the rigging and horses run better from an alteration. I’ve seen that video more then once, not recently though, a small book would be good with all the fine points that twenty or thirty years,or more, of working with horses brings.

I noticed in the Working Horses pics that you don’t run pony yokes just a straight neck yoke?

Thanks

neal

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Carl,

Thanks for all your feedback. This is my first set of D-Ring harness so I’m learning and like you say draft animal power is a craft and getting the harness adjusted is some of the work, gotta find the sweet spot with it.

My front tugs are in a pretty good line of draft with the rear tugs and the evener and darn close to 90 degrees off the hames. The collar doesn’t ride up and after four acres of mowing my horses don’t have sores or tender spots. I will check the front tug length and the hold back length. My heel chains are hanging about 5 so i have some length to shorten on the pole for sure. 16.2 horses.

Question; Does Les(or anyone) have a consise book on adjusting the D-Ring?

Thanks Again

Neal McNaughten
Unity, me.

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Carl, and Jason,

Thanks for the input on the breast yoke. 1-1/2″ sounds to be the magic number. I’ll check out log cabin.

Carl is there a good photo on this site of your rig?

What got me thinking about all this was when i was mowing hay a few weeks back i was noticing how low my pole was at the horses heasd and thinking that i’ve always heard those mowers were designed to run at about 31″ off the ground at the tip of the pole. My mowers work fine, run fine, just seemed everything was hanging a bit low off the front of the horses and i would like to tune it all a bit. One thought i had was to put the pole ring on the yoke on top of yoke. No tongue truks!.

Thanks alot

Neal

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Andre’

Did you nget your haybine guards from macnairs and if so what brand/type/make etc. were they. Also what are you using for stub guards. Did you go with those new adjustable knife keepers(clips?) or did the old ones work?
I’ve got a High Gear 9 that i need guards for, and finish going through. The High Gear mowers have always gone right through lodged, matted, August first cut hay for me.

Thanks
Neal McNaughten
Unity, Me.

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Hey you guys I was in a NH tractor dealership yesterday and they still sell the replacement for the old 989 guard, standard on #9 and #7, which is a MC2041. I believe those numbers are correct. They’re about 4-5bucks a piece. The last set I bought came from MacNairs. made in korea. I’ve had no problems with them on my 9 and they cut well. Put new bolts on them from the tractor dealership as well.

Never tried the haybine guards but i’m thinking of it, you can also, if you can find them replace the guard plates on the 989 guards. Its a bit of a chore but those old guards work well going through the grass.

What i’ve been having trouble with is a 9 i picked up in Vt. Was rubber tired, one blew so i switched to iron wheels, then it broke a knife head, twice, and the backer bar of the knife after mowing about four acres of heavy clover. I had two more hundred foot passes to make. I have several mowers so i went and got a high gear 9 that was given to me and runs sweeter then any mower i’ve ever owned dull knives and guards to boot, that finished it. Never had so many problems as with that Vt. mower. I’ll tinker it up.

Good luck

Neal McNaughten
Unity, me.

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Neil,

Foam sounds like a plan but i do have a gash about an inch and a half in the side wall. Itsa wonder i got by this far with it. Ya know i’d never had a rubber tired nine always iron and the i did notice a bit of vibration, more then an iron wheeled one.

JHunk, Nothing but Jhunk as we say here in Maine. I love my rusty collection. Trying to find the grease fitting on my Mac IBook????

Thanks

Neal

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Hey Neil, you ‘ve got almost as much rusty junk (i know its not junk) in your yard as i do in mine.

Just got a chance to check out your photos and that tonque truk looks like it oughta work sweet. Automotive type steering and all. The dude at MacNairs in PA. sells a single wheel dolly type wheel, but i like yours better it looks like it would distribute the weight nicely. Also do you know of a source for tires for those old nines, and tubes besides the ,mortgage the house, antique guy in the back of SFJ. I need one. Was thinking of checking out some antique car sources??? 5-00–21 tube.?

Your tonque truk looks like it would take quite a bit of fabrication, but do it once it would be around for a long time.

Waiting for the thunderstorm every two days pattern to end here in Me. so we can put in some more hay.

thanks

Neal McNaughten
Unity, Me.

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neil,
thanks for you wealth of info and pics and enthusiasm!!!

neal

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Rod,

The JD 14t and 24t compared to some of the old NH balers(66-68) are pretty heavy especially for a lite team or hilly hay ground, it takes weight to pull weight. If you’ve mowed raked tedded 20 acres of hay then put a small team on a heavy baler, um, well, you might need a bit more horsepower to finish the job . The old Wisconcin motors on those balers turn relatively slow but put out a lot of torque, the nwer Hondas need to be sized up to acheive simller torque.

Neal Mcnaughten
Unity, Me.

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Eric,

Paul Birdsall of Penobscot Me. is growing and harvesting grain with horses.

Neal

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Neil,

Wow look at those fields , they’r flat and wide open, not like some of our small whinedy fields here in Maine, and the horses are the right color to. Black!! Thanks for the pic Neil good to see others working their horses. The NH 68 must be a tad newer then my 66, i’m always looking to upgrade, and the tandem wheels on the the one baler makes sense to me.

It don’t get no better then haying with horses!

Neal Mcnaughten
Unity, Me.

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Rod, if you are an historic detail freak the University of Wisconcin Historic division has all the minutes and decisions/books made by IHC/McD. for equipment colors. They have the original color scheme.

Maybe try Lynn Millers Mower book for an old ad. or email SFJ. They would know.

Personally I want to do one Day-Glow orange one of these days. Or purple. Most of mine are red, or rust.

Neal

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